"Still months on reading ridiculous conspiracy theories," he said. "It's upsetting that I have to read them daily. Thank god for the lovely people on here."

After some fans questioned whether "management" had taken over his Twitter after Tomlinson blocked some followers, he vowed: "I block people who bad mouth the people I care about" and said: "The only person who has access to my account is me!"

Tomlinson also took exception after his mother received an abusive message on the social networking site, saying: "Can I ask why this is ok? To think someone would speak to my Mom like that sickens me. Grow the f**k up !"

However, Tomlinson also wrote a series of messages thanking his "real" fans for their support.

"Ohh dear I've gone to town today haha," he wrote. "Lots of love to all of you amazing fans !!

"Please know that we love you all so much! We are forever grateful for the success you've helped us achieve!"

He later added: "And now to finish on a good note :) ive clearly flipped on twitter today. I'm sorry to any REAL fan of ours that I've offended. All I've ever wanted to do from day one is please the people who support us. It's hard when people are rude to our families.